The moment Vastarael appeared at the far end of the meadow, the world seemed to forget how to breathe.
He did not arrive with any of the grand excesses people expected from an Aeterium monarch. He simply stepped forward with Runner beside him. Conversations died mid-thought. Souls that had been murmuring only seconds ago went utterly still. The fragrance of peonies spread in gentle waves, settling into the grass, the flowers and the breath of every being present. Peonies bloomed wherever he stepped.
Each step coaxed another blossom into existence. Asenane felt it before she fully understood it. His Boon, Ethereal Beauty, was active. And layered atop it was his Love Divinity.
In all the time she had known him, across battles, losses, and quiet moments, Vastarael has never activated his Boon. He always refused it and buried it under restraint, because Boons came with Banes and his Bane was cruel.
And yet here he was, not holding back.
He wore a royal white suit. Runner walked beside him but even she glanced at him once. Asenane bit her lip hard. When he drew closer, close enough that the scent of peonies was all she could sense of him, she noticed something else.
His ears were pierced.
Her eyes widened by just a fraction. Vastarael did not adorn himself without a plausible reason.
Shimmer and Runner moved smoothly into position behind them, stepping back in perfect synchronicity. Reynolds cleared his throat.
"We are gathered here to witness the union of two sovereign beings. Monarch and Monarchess. Vastarael Richinaria, Monarch of Dynasty Richinaria, descendant of Lord Vasreveilder himself."
He turned then, respectfully, toward Asenane.
"And Asenane, Dragon-blooded Progenitor and a Queen in her own right."
Asenane finally allowed herself to look fully at Vastarael. Their eyes met and in that moment, Asenane knew. No matter the problems that would come for him later. No matter the scars this choice might carve into his soul.
He had decided and he had chosen her without hesitation.
"This," he said, gesturing gently between Vastarael and Asenane, "is not an ordinary union. What you are about to witness is the Nionarus Wedding, a rite older than most civilizations still capable of remembering their own beginnings. The Nionarus Wedding was initiated by Master Vasreveilder Nov Aeteria, Supreme Entity of Civilization, architect of societal continuity, and progenitor of the Aeterium lineage itself. When the first Transmigrators arrived in Spheraphase, unmoored from their previous worlds, stripped of familiar customs and fractured by grief, it was Vasreveilder who understood something crucial. He introduced this rite as a stabilizing bond. A way to anchor identity across worlds, lives, and deaths. The Transmigrators carried it with them, adapted it, reshaped it and spread it across Spheraphase. Empires rose and fell. Dynasties burned and were reborn. And still, this ritual endured."
Reynolds smiled faintly.
"It was named after Nionarus, the first man to be married under this rite. In a matriarchal world, where tradition dictated that such an honor should bear the bride's name, his wife, Arlia, refused. She insisted the wedding be named after him. Not because he demanded it. Not because society required it but because she loved him, and wanted the world to remember that love is not diminished by who leads, who follows, or who kneels. That was eons ago. Cultures have changed the rite over time. Some use rings. Some use blood sigils. Some carve names into soul-threads or bind shadows together. But when a descendant of Master Vasreveilder stands before this rite, the original form is observed."
At that moment, Miranda appeared without fanfare, stepping forward. A small box floated beside her, suspended by gentle divine force, matte black and unadorned, yet humming with restrained power. She inclined her head respectfully and stepped back. The box opened on its own. Inside rested two pairs of small, circular black earrings, perfectly smooth and identical. Their surfaces absorbed light rather than reflected it, etched faintly with runes so ancient they felt more like concepts than symbols.
A ripple of surprise passed through the crowd. Reynolds continued calmly, as if this were the most natural thing.
"In the Nionarus Wedding, there are no rings by default. Instead, the groom chooses the binding accessory. Whatever form best represents commitment to him. Earrings, necklaces, marks, crowns. The meaning lies not in the object, but in the intent."
Asenane blinked, then immediately narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze sharply to Vastarael. Her voice brushed against his mind through the Sapphire Bond.
[Earrings? Why earrings instead of rings?]
There was a pause just long enough to be annoying.
[Because someone already booked the rings. And they specifically said they'd be the one to put a ring on my finger.]
Asenane froze.
[What?]
[It's a secret], he added, entirely too casually.
Reynolds cleared his throat again, clearly pretending not to notice the silent exchange, though his lips twitched just slightly.
"Now, with the chosen bindings prepared, we proceed to the sealing. This is not an oath spoken outwardly but a vow engraved inward to the soul."
Vastarael glanced down at his arms, then back at Asenane with a wry, helpless look. He couldn't bleed from his palms even if he wanted to. Asenane flexed her fingers slowly as her dragon scales faintly appeared beneath her skin. Her flesh was so dense that ordinary blades wouldn't even scratch her anymore. Fourth Enlightenment had done that. She lifted her hand and from one finger, a curved, translucent claw extended containing condensed draconic energy.
Her expression softened before she acted.
"Don't flinch."
"I won't," he replied just as softly.
She gathered more energy than strictly necessary just to be sure and in one move, she drew the claw across the side of his neck. Vastarael didn't even inhale sharply. When it was his turn, a thin sapphire blade formed in his hand. It was made with pure Soul Energy crystallized into an edge so sharp it barely existed. He reached for Asenane's hand, turning her palm upward. Soul Energy bit through her skin where physical force could not, slicing cleanly across her palm. Asenane hissed despite her bravado.
"Okay, that stung."
He smiled apologetically. Their wounds stopped bleeding almost immediately but not before enough blood had been drawn. Two streams of blood lifted into the air between them. The moment they touched, they fused, swirling into a single, denser mass. As it did, Reynolds began to speak.
"By blood willingly given, by harm accepted without malice, by power shared, not imposed, let this bond be recognized by flesh, soul and law."
Asenane felt a warmth unfurling in her chest, then spreading through her limbs. Vastarael felt it too but it was deeper for him. When the fused blood finally dissipated into motes of light, both of their wounds sealed completely.
"The bond is formed. Place the seal."
The earrings floated forward again. Asenane took one, turning it between her fingers. She stepped closer to Vastarael, rising just slightly on her toes. Being the tallest among his beloveds had its perks and with their Enlightenment-enhanced height, she didn't even have to strain. She brushed his hair aside. Her fingers lingered at his ear for half a second longer than necessary.
"Don't you dare take this off."
He met her gaze, completely serious. "I won't. Ever."
She slid the earring into place. The moment it settled, the runes vanished. he took the other pair and cupped her face briefly before moving his hands to her ears and thumbs brushing her cheeks.
"I'll never take them off either," she said. "Even if you annoy me."
"Especially then."
When he finished, the earrings pulsed once before they went still.